Daniele Bonera

Daniele Bonera

• After impressing with Brescia − his home-town club − at the start of the millennium, Bonera joined Parma ahead of the 2002/03 campaign, a season in which he played 32 games and scored his one and only Serie A goal to date: against Brescia.

• Helped Parma escape relegation in 2004/05 and, despite being troubled by injuries, his displays convinced Milan to sign him on a four-year deal in July 2006.

• Made his Italy Under-21 debut in a 5-0 victory against Slovenia in January 2001 and won his first senior cap eight months later in a friendly against Morocco (1-0); was also a member of the victorious 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad in Germany, where he was dismissed in a 2-1 group stage loss to Belarus.

• Marked his UEFA Champions League debut with a red card against RSC Anderlecht (1-0) on 17 October 2006 and was overlooked for the final in Athens despite featuring in the semi-final first leg against Manchester United FC; a non-playing substitute for the UEFA Super Cup success against FC Porto, he started the FIFA World Club Cup win against CA Boca Juniors (3-1).

• Struggled in the latter part of 2008/09 with a persistent groin injury which sidelined him for eight months until January 2010, but enjoyed more regular football in 2010/11, including three UEFA Champions League group outings.

• Returned to prominence in 2011/12, making 20 Serie A appearances as Milan ended in second place, and played six times in the UEFA Champions League run to the quarter-finals. Injury limited his appearances in 2012/13 but signed a new contract with Milan to keep him at San Siro until 2015.

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